Article Abstract:
Illustrator 88, version 1.5 for the Macintosh has improved features and is easier to use than Adobe's earlier version. Powerful precision features require the dexterity of a natural artist. No amount of computer power will make a poor artist a great designer. Illustrator 88 has removed some complex maneuvers for generating curves in favor of a free hand approach. Objects can be specified to a certain size. A few of the features appear to have been encouraged by Illustrator's newest competitor, Aldus FreeHand. Like FreeHand, Illustrator now features color and separation of four-color images. Illustrator 88 has also added masking, like Freehand. FreeHand has better text handling, while Illustrator's design tools are superior. Illustrator requires 720 Kbytes of RAM and sells for $495.
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Article Abstract:
The $395 Adobe Streamline does only one thing, but it does it well: It quickly and accurately traces scanned black-and-white line art or bit-mapped images created in another program and saves them as EPS or Adobe Illustrator files that can be brought into an IBM PC or Apple Macintosh program. Streamline requires at least 1Mbyte of RAM, two floppy disk drives and Macintosh System 4.2 or later. Streamline works in TIFF, Macpaint and PICT formats, but will not work with gray-scale, halftone or color images. Streamline does an excellent job of tracing, but should not be used for complex images that will be manipulated later on. Although Streamline is most useful as a production tool for replicating technical drawings, it shows great promise as a creative tool for electronic art.
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Article Abstract:
Macdraw II ($395), graphics software from Claris Corp, is a simple program that combines high-resolution text and graphics. The program serves in various capacities: engineering or architectural plans; business graphics, such as fliers or charts; or presentation graphics. The product is not intended for computer-aided design (CAD) work. Macdraw II lacks sophisticated illustration capabilities, though it includes drafting aids and a powerful layering feature. Macdraw II is versatile and easy to use; but better, competitively priced specialized products exist.
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